We've eaten at Besse's on Clear Lake twice this week, and that says it all. The food is delicious, the staff is genuinely friendly, and everything we've ordered has been excellent. I had the crab cakes and the grilled shrimp, and both were outstanding. Fresh, flavorful, and cooked perfectly. It's the kind of place that makes you want to come back, and we did. If you're in the area, it's definitely worth a visit! read more

My family and I have been in Tomahawk for a week and we keep coming back to Besse's. The food is delicious every single time! Kiara has taken care of us more than once and she is such gem! I highly recommend this place to anyone visiting the area. read more

The food was very good BUT the price they charged for twice baked potato was crazy .It did say extra charge for twice baked in the menu but $ 10 for 2 is ridiculous. Potato came with the meal so I could see 2 -3 extra for cheese and sour cream. I looked online to look at the menu and it said tenderloin for $ 28.00 but when we got there it was $ 42.00 Also it didn't state anywhere on the receipt extra cost for credit card . I did have 80 cash on me which wasn't enough so I had to use my credit card. Bill cane to$ 94.00 for 2 people only one beer . All I can say we've been there and probably won't go back. read more

Beautiful lake views, a nice selection on their menu, and good service. We had the parmesan crusted cod which was delicious and cooked perfectly. The fries and baked potatoes were nice and hot. The dinner salads were excellent! The old fashioneds were also very good. The prime rib portion was small for the price but it had good flavor. read more

Besse's On Clear Lake - Prime rib - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tomahawk, Wisconsin

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The Tomahawk area has a surprising number of good places to eat. This is one of them. Very good food. Good, friendly service. Never been disappointed. read more

Great atmosphere with amazing steaks and a classic Wisconsin supper club vibe. The bartenders serve the best cocktails. And the old fashion mix is made in house. Can't go wrong with anything on the menu. read more

The place is a gem. The porkchop i had done perfectly along with wild rice and corn! The staff was friendly and prompt.

Consistently one of my favorite places for the last 15+ years in the Nokomis area. Higher quality of meat is noticeable, great bar, food is always good, staff always works hard at providing great service, even when they are stretched thin! read more

Met there with grandkids on a wintry night. Lovely little spot deep in the woods with good food and attentive service. This is north woods friendly. My poor man's was basic but very good, and our table enjoyed the Friday night walleye, ribs, and pasta. Good manhattans. Beer list is basic but I enjoyed a Spotted Cow. Certainly visit again. read more

Enjoyed our first visit to Besse's on Clear Lake. Our server (s) were friendly and attentive. I tried the baby back ribs with spaeztle , she is had the buttery crusted baked scallops. Refreshing Mojito and an excellent "Wisconsin in a glass" Brandy Old Fashioned made it to the table in a timely fashion. Cheese cake squares (just the right size and price /$3 after dinner) rounded out this delicious and fun visit to scenic Clear Lake. read more

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Went to Besse's at 5:30 weeks after the Food Network TV completed the $10,000 facelift. Was nice to see all of the interior improvements along with a fresh innovative menu. We had a party of 3 who all chose different selections including walleye with potato pancakes; walleye & oyster curry with soup & corn ragu pasta with a salad. All were good tasting unique dinners. Go early, by 5:30 in the summer to get a table or prepared to wait. That's usual anywhere in the northwoods in the summer. Besse's has a great view of Clear Lake offering inside & outside seating. Service was ok & was nice to meet Brenda, the owner. read more

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We weee glad we stop here. Had grilled shrimp on Friday nite. Excellent. We definitely would come back to this place for those wondering about Friday nite fish my husband had bad cod said was good. This place very busy there was line of people when we left read more

A great supper club ambiance with a nice view of the lake from the bar. Great old Fashioned's (WI style). I had the salmon with potato and a salad. It was perfectly cooked and had excellent flavor. I definitely recommend! read more

It's been awhile but the food has always been good. Nice, attentive wait staff. Updated business looks nice but still has the feel of an older supper club. read more

This place was a very pleasant surprise. The interior is very modern and their selection of wines and spirits are better than other places in the area. The real show though is the food. Wow. I had the lobster mac and cheese and I'm still thinking about it a day later. I also tried the ribs which fell off the bone. All of our meals came with a soup or salad before as well as bread for the table, giving it a supper club vibe. The service was excellent too and everyone was friendly. Theres really not a lot of places in this area that have this good of food as well as a more modern (and changing) menu. I will be stopping here again ASAP. read more

This is an awesome place! Kiona was an awesome waitress and made our visit enjoyable! The drinks at the bar were amazing. Definitely recommend this supper club. read more

Great food. Love the menu options..love the staff. always first class and worth the money and than some

Great place. Well, great if you like loud, crowded, overpriced places with mediocre food. Been there twice now, and won't go back. The food was fair to poor, the service was lousy, but to be fair...hmmmm...sorry, can't think of anything positive to say about it, other than it's positively overpriced for what it is. read more

I'm sorry I had to post this about a fellow small business owner but it had to be done. So Brenda at Besses on Clear Lake posts that she's in desperate need of workers or she's closing. So I have my almost 16 year old son go out to work for her the last 3 days. She tells him she will pay $6 an hour plus tips for bussing. Bussing includes setting tables, clearing tables, cleaning tables, bringing guests water and bread, wrapping silverware ect. So half of what the waitress does. After his 3rd day he is told he gets 10% of the tips and the 1 waitress gets the rest. So he gets $25 and 17 year old waitress gets $225. Explain how this is fair when both have to rely on tips to make minimum wage. So I bring this problem to the owner Brenda and she calls me an asshole. Please see attached screen shot of this language from a supposedly professional business owner. This is why she can't find employees. Don't let your kids be used by this lady. Let her go under. I'll be calling the state labor department Monday as she made my son work til after 9pm on a school night at 15 years old which is against the law. 7pm is the law. What some people are willing to do to make a dime off someone. Now it'll cost her thousands in fines. I wouldn't recommend this restaurant to anyone. Give your money to someone else who will appreciate it. read more

Brenda has done it again. We were there last Friday and I had the Shrimp and Grits special. All I can say is that it was one of the best dishes I've ever tasted in my life. It was a perfect balance of flavors. Wow, wow, wow. We'll be back soon!! read more

Perfect views and great food! Honestly, just go and visit and you won't be disappointed.

To start, you might note that the recent positive reviews all refer to the owner by name. I only know who the owner is from having been a part of the Restaurant Impossible experience and then returning to dine at Besse's - admittedly a mistake. The whole story - Our first visit to Besse's was for lunch as they began filming the Restaurant Impossible episode. Although we waited an hour for our mediocre food, we were among the "lucky" diners who at least got food (and almost had time to finish before the production crew hustled us out so they could begin work on the remodel). Our same party of four was invited back the next night for the grand reveal. Our server volunteered he couldn't answer any menu questions because he was a bartender pressed into a new role. Understandable considering the circumstances and he did okay. Two of us ordered the curry walleye (delicious), one had stuffed meatloaf (very good), and one a pork chop that was disappointingly tough. We also tried the chicken liver appetizer which was amazing with a ragu rather than covered in the prepackaged gravy that we had been served yesterday. The updated appearance and good experience convinced us to make a return visit with others even though Besse's is a 45-minute drive (which means there are a fair number of other restaurants we could have chosen in any direction). So.....we visited as a party of six on a Friday evening and arrived to a pretty well-filled dining room (including the owner having dinner alongside the bar). Our server was very young and not only could not answer menu questions I'm not sure he was legally allowed to bring us drinks from the bar which took about 15 minutes which might have been a great time to take our dinner orders, but that didn't happen. We finally order dinner and wait 20 minutes for the arrival of two appetizers including another shot at the chicken livers even though the menu didn't note they were topped with the wonderful ragu that was used during the RI reveal. Should have known better. Once again we are served chicken livers drowned in prepackaged beef gravy. Appetizers are eaten and we wait for soups (which eventually arrive lukewarm) and salads. The appetizer dishes are left on the table and remained there for the remainder of our visit. Another long wait between the soups/salads and the arrival of the first entree. Again, we are a party of six. Half duck entree arrives as we near an hour since we placed our order. FOUR minutes later, three more of us get our dinners. Two half-rack of ribs (see photo) that while the meat was falling off the bone were very dry and a fish fry (walleye) that was a filet and a half (who serves you half a piece of fish?). Another SIX minutes (now a total of 10 minutes since the first entree was served) and the two "grilled" shrimp entrees are brought out and oh my. First, $22 for a shrimp entree with FOUR shrimp is a head scratcher. Even more of a head scratcher is what was the cook (can't use the word chef here) and server thinking that would have them serve shrimp that are so charred that the entire bottoms are black and crispy enough that it flakes onto the plate? In the meantime, the owner finished her meal and left. That meant it was play time for the service staff as six of them are drinking and having a party behind the bar (fortunately not our young server) with two of them even dancing to the music that is playing in the corner of the bar. Not sure how long Besse's will stay open after it is featured on Restaurant Impossible, but I do know we won't be visiting again and won't be surprised to see the word "Closed" next to its name on the websites that track what happens to the restaurants featured on RI. read more

Besse's On Clear Lake - $22 Dinner presentation. Note the loose piece of meat on the left that looks like a nibble was taken before it was served. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Tomahawk, Wisconsin

The remodel is very pleasant and really updated the place. Beautiful views of Clear Lake. Yummy drinks and had the meatloaf special with cauliflower potatoes and asparagus. Didn't disappoint, delicious and will definitely be back! Sunday brunch is awesome also, strawberry jam was tasty. read more

Went to Besse's with friends and family to celebrate a couple of birthdays and I was very pleasantly surprised with the entire experience!! Food was delicious!!!! Brenda, the owner, is very much involved with making sure her customers are happy and she does a fabulous job of making sure you feel welcome!!! It may have been our first trip but it very definitely won't be our last!!! read more

Great food and service was very good. Love the new decor! Good luck Brenda. We will be back.

Misty was a prompt and professional waitress, the bartender made an excellent drink and was a good conversation. The owner checked on our table. The food was fantastic and restaurant was very clean. We loved our experience and would recommend Besses's to anyone. read more

I honestly don't know where to start with this review. The bartender was very friendly and the owners are there to welcome you to their restaurant. I ate the double lobster tail Mac and cheese. It's one of the best meals I've ever had. My parents ate the walleye fish fry and they loved it. Fantastic old fashioned. A great dining experience! I recommend it he patio for an outdoor meal. Thanks for the Northwoods hospitality. read more

Loved our meal at Besse's! Fun staff, great service and the food was outstanding! The Shrimp Creole appetizer was prepared perfectly. We followed this with a New York Strip with garlic butter and twice baked potato. The steak was prepared exactly as ordered and the twice baked was delicious! We also enjoyed the roast duck with spaetzle. Such a rare find and so good! We ended the meal with a Whiskey Salted Caramel cupcake. Everything was perfect with our night! Oh, and the drinks - Wisconsin Old Fashions and a Lemon drop martini we're also fantastic We'll be back again soon. read more

Great fish fry. Besse's is a worthy successor to Mr. G's, which used to operate at the same location. We had the walleye which was delicious, and the bartender knows how to make drinks. read more

What happened to the "Charm of the Northwoods" ?? Imagine our disappointment when we walked into the newly decorated "Besse's". Not only does it seem cold, uninviting, industrialized & a new menu but as mentioned before, all the charm is gone. I ordered Prime Rib & husband had pork chops. We waited what seemed like forever for the lack of customers at the time. My prime rib was ok, baked potato was hard and pork chop was like shoe leather & cold. We had taken a family group of 16 during the summer and everything was fantastic ! Food ~ Drinks ~ atmosphere, sadly none will be returning. Lake Alice, vacation home ~ you have many people who will not be returning, so sad to have lost such a treasure in the Northwoods. No good fish choice for Friday, with people looking "low carb". We do hope for the best and that you are happy with your new choices, sorry to see the old place changed. read more

Great spot, with a beautiful lake view. We went on Friday for a fish fry and got there early enough that there was not a wait, it is a small place so probably fills up quickly. Old fashioned made as requested, server was super friendly. Fish fry came our quickly and hot, two generous pieces of cod. Batter was nice, thin and crisp. Homemade potato pancakes were also good. read more

We had a great meal here! It's not a fancy place but it's old-school cool. Clean place. Clean bathrooms. Very friendly staff. We had the chicken liver appetizer which the server said would be good. She wasn't wrong! The filet with broiled shrimp was prepared perfectly to order. The half duck was super moist with great crispy skin! It wasn't served with any sauce and it didn't need it but I can see how some folks might want some kind of sauce. It came with spatzel which was good too. I think it was boiled and then pan fried in butter. Again, some folks might want some kind of gravy. The duck also came with sauerkraut. The kraut wasn't that great. My mom used to grate an onion and a potato into her caned kraut. She added some sugar and a little shortening. All that being said, dinner here was delicious, the service was awesome, the drinks great! We will certainly be back! read more

My wife and I have eaten here three times this summer. We were impressed with the staff. They take reservations which is great for Friday night Fish Fry and most importantly the fish was really great. Drinks are generous and the bar tender is cheerful as is the wait staff. I've had the baby back ribs and they are just fine, not the greatest that I've ever eaten but good and enjoyable. Last night I tried their pork chop along with a twice baked potato. It was great comfort food prepared properly. The twice bake was a little salty (and I like salt). They have a home made cream peppercorn dressing for the salad...be sure to order two containers because it is really good. Worth the stop. read more

Great food. The remodel looks amazing! Best of luck to Brenda and staff! We can not wait to come back again in a few week! Try the steak frits and the curry walleye. It will blow your mind. read more

Sign on the road is nice - when you drive in you can't tell it's a restaurant - except for the giant kitchen/hood fan. The place was almost empty - a young couple eating at the bar -and an older couple in the dining room. The bartender was obviously intoxicated - it wasn't even 7 pm. She didn't have the wine my husband wanted so he ordered a mixed drink. It was way over poured and the soda was flat and "musty" tasting. He didn't drink it. I ordered Jameson and ginger ale with a lemon. Had to ask 3 times for the lemon. Drink was awful - rather than ginger ale she used Pepsi &club soda. Didn't drink it. They had more than enough staff - they were falling over themselves trying to be helpful. Husband ordered ribs - dry and very tough. Way over peppered. I ordered a chicken pasta dish with a cheese sauce. It was so full of pepper the cheese sauce was black. We won't go back. Overall a terrible experience. read more

One of my favorite spots for a night out! Good wine list and my go to menu item is the filet mignon.....melts in your mouth! Have always been greeted by friendly and competent staff. Beautiful view of the lake from the bar. Small intimate dining. read more

I have been coming to Besse's for many years, thus this review is long overdue. There are many choices from steak to seafood as well as carrying gluten free bread for our daughter. Throughout the years I have had the fish fry (offered with potato pancakes), prime rib, stuffed shrimp...and the Walleye Almondine is superb!! Never been disappointed. Can't forget about an unbelievable Sunday breakfast. Get there early on Friday or Saturday as it fills up fast. read more

We are from out of the area and were just looking for a Saturday evening meal. Bess's signage caught our eyes. The dining area is small, but quaint and Bess herself served us. She was very charming and assisted with our order. My husband's prime rib was superb and I loved the baby back ribs. The grasshopper dessert was a nice finishing touch for a warm Saturday night. We were very pleased with our choice for dining. read more

Great food, drinks, and service. We will most certainly go back!!! Steaks were done perfectly and the ribs were the great combo of sweet and spicy. Thanks Brenda for a great night!!! read more

We have vacationed a couple of miles from Bessie's for decades and have been there in the "olden days" - it really was a dump interior-wise with only passable food. Over the years we always went elsewhere but since the T.V. renovations thought we'd check it out. Quite an improvement. Interior is rather nice and bright with a few 'North Woods'/'Up-North'/Lake accents that bring it up-to-date. Menu modest and appropriately refined and updated. I ordered the Steak Frites which was done nicely. However, might suggest bread plates to accompany bread basket. There was a very large party (24) ahead of us which delayed our appetizers/entrees, but the server was very apologetic about it and "comped" us a round of drinks which was appreciated. If they take the lessons learned from Restaurant Impossible and continue improving the restaurant can go far and we'll be returning soon! read more